By Jon Malavolti
C & G Sports Writer

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Jan. 30 promises to be a special day for the Macomb L’Anse Creuse North and the Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse boys and girls basketball programs, and even more so for people throughout the community battling cancer.

All six Crusaders’ and Lancers’ hoops teams will play throughout the day at LCN for a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser.

“Our main goal is to bring it into life within our community and show that we can come together and pull together as a district,” LCN boys varsity coach Jay Seletsky said. “What we’re trying to do with this event is bring everyone together for a common goal, and try and raise a lot of money for a great cause.”

The festivities are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., with the freshman boys teams squaring off. The freshman girls teams are then scheduled to meet around noon, followed by the JV boys at 2 p.m., the JV girls at 4 p.m., the varsity girls at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys at 8 p.m. Times are tentative.

Money raised from the gate, concessions and other fundraising efforts at the schools will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

“One of the things that I feel strongly about is that the kids have to give back to the community,” LCN girls varsity coach Bob Johnston said. “It’s an important thing for kids to know that they have to give back — and that was probably the biggest thing.”

A silent auction will be taking place at LCN throughout the day, and the schools will raise money by selling pink T-shirts — which will be good for admission into the games.

“What we’re hoping is to have the whole gym pink,” Seletsky said.

The players plan on wearing special pink warm-ups with the name of a cancer victim on the back. Also, pink “survivor boards” will be displayed around the gym with the names of cancer survivors. Donations will be raised from both and will go to the ACS, as well.

“You can see the emotion in their faces when they hand us the donation forms and the names of their family members.
It really does hit home for them,” Johnston said about the players. “So there’s a little more thinking that goes along with it, whereas if you do a fundraiser and you say, ‘Here coach, here’s the money.’ You don’t think about it.

“But when you make it personal like this, it grabs their attention. Any time you can grab the attention of a teenager and have them do something positive, it’s great for them, and it’s great for our programs and it’s great for the community.”

Johnston said L’Anse Creuse was happy to join in the cause.

“They wanted to be as much a part of it as we wanted to run it,” he said.

The players themselves are also eager to take part in the special day.

“We’re really excited,” LCN junior Stephanie Garland said. “It’s real nice to give back to people who support us and come out for us, and help make everybody aware of something like cancer.”

Educating the student-athletes and the rest of the student body on the serious issue is as big a goal as the fundraising.

“We’re trying to make the awareness — and it’s hard as a 17-, 16-year-old kid — but we’re trying to make the awareness spread from not only the elder generations, but down to our players to help them realize that it is something serious that we’re trying to battle,” Seletsky said. “And hopefully, they take some ownership in it. I know both of our varsity teams have really gotten into to it. We’re hoping for good things.”

You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolit@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040.